Google I/O tickets scalped on eBay

Google has faced a barrage of criticism after tickets to its I/O developer event sold out in record time, appearing soon after on eBay for four times their original prices.

Senior vice president for engineering Vic Gundotra said in a Google+ post that the 5500-plus tickets were sold in a little over 20 minutes.

However, developers who did not manage to secure tickets alleged they were served "no tickets available" messages within minutes of sales opening.

Several tickets appeared on eBay a short time later. At the time of writing, academic tickets that sold for $US300 were being auctioned for between $US1250 and $US1500 each.

One general admission ticket that originally cost $US900 was listed with a "Buy It Now" price of $US4000.

Although the event is officially targeted at developers for Google's various platforms, it has gained cult-like status for consumer product giveaways that are worth more than the face value of the tickets.